Individual Stewardship

You probably don’t need us to tell you how special Wissahickon Valley Park is. It’s 1800 acres provides habitat to wildlife, refuge & recreation to over a million visitors per year, and protects the drinking water for one third of Philadelphians. The park can’t take care of itself, however. It needs responsible park users and stewards to keep this special place clean and sustainable for generations to come. Here are a few simple ways that you can make a difference.

RESPONSIBILITY –When in the park, be sure to adhere toLeave No Trace principles, such as staying on trail, carrying out what you carry in, keeping your dogs on leash, and not disturbing wildlife or the habitat animals depend on.

CLEAN UP –If you’re still visiting the Wissahickon, consider showing the park some love by picking up any litter you come across. Be sure to wear gloves and be careful when picking up trash. Bags of trash can be left in or next to any of the permanent trash cans in the park. After cleaning up trash, let us know byfilling out this short form as helps us to keep track of litter removed.

SMASH –If you’re still hiking the trails, learn to identify and remove the highly invasive Spotted Lanternfly eggs from trees. Read more about it here!

OBSERVE – Take backyard birding to the next level by tracking your observations with theE-bird app. It’s easy to use and records your sightings and locations, while allowing you to see what other birders are seeing in the area. Share your findings with the hashtags #ebird, #myebirdhistory, and #Wissahickon. Likewise, theiNaturalist app lets you keep track of local wildlife species. Philadelphia is part of the global iNaturalist City Nature Challenge in April 2020, so your observations will put Philly on the map.

REPORT –1800 acres is a lot of space to keep our eyes on. You can help us by reporting non-emergency damages to the park, such as down trees and damaged structures.Read more about how to do this here.

Due to the risks of COVID-19, all Volunteer Service Days are suspended until further notice. Please check back in the future when we’re all able to work together in the Wissahickon!

Let'sBeFriends.

The FOW office is located at 40 West Evergreen Avenue, Suite 108, Philadelphia, PA 19118. Our mission is to conserve the natural beauty and wildness of the Wissahickon Valley and stimulate public interest therein.